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Lot Essay
Today, stainless steel is the material of choice for many of the world's most coveted wristwatches, yet this was far from the case throughout much of the twentieth century. While steel had long been used for balance springs and technical components, its sensitivity to temperature made it unsuitable for precision timekeeping. During the 1930s, manufacturers such as Omega and Longines increasingly adopted stainless steel for robust military and chronograph wristwatches, while Patek Philippe was among the first high watchmaking manufactures to embrace the material for serial production with the waterproof Calatrava reference 565, broadening its appeal in the years following the Great Depression.
The true turning point, however, came in 1972 with the introduction of Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak. Designed by Gérald Genta, it became the first serially produced luxury sports watch in stainless steel, forever changing collectors' perception of the material. Its success inspired an entirely new category of high-end sports timepieces, including Patek Philippe's Nautilus, likewise designed by Genta only a few years later.
Against this historical backdrop, the decision by A. Lange & Söhne to produce a stainless steel Lange 1 was nothing short of extraordinary. Günter Blümlein, the visionary behind the manufacture's revival, had publicly maintained that steel had no place within the brand's philosophy, famously declaring that if the market demanded steel, 'it has to get steel, but not at A. Lange & Söhne for the foreseeable future'. Yet, following discussions with Mr. Bertini of the renowned Milan retailer Pisa Orologeria, Blümlein agreed to produce a limited series under one condition: the stainless steel version would be priced no lower than its gold counterpart. Thus was born the legendary Lange 1 reference 101.026.
Research indicates that less than thirty stainless steel Lange 1 examples were delivered to retailers worldwide. Pisa Orologeria received twenty watches, seventeen with silver dials and three with black dials, while New York retailer Cellini Jewelers ordered eight but ultimately received only four. A handful of additional examples were supplied to selected retailers in Germany and Singapore, making the stainless steel Lange 1 one of the rarest serially produced references of the modern manufacture.
The present timepiece was purchased in 1999 from the historic German retailer Oeding-Erdel, a longstanding partner of A. Lange & Söhne. It possesses an especially intriguing history, as its original guarantee correctly records the case and movement numbers but bears the secret reference 101.027 X, corresponding to a white gold Lange 1 with silver dial and blued hands. Although the manufacture has never explained this discrepancy, it has confirmed through its Proof of Origin that the present watch was delivered in stainless steel. Furthermore, A. Lange & Söhne has confirmed that the original silver dial was later replaced at the manufacture with the present blue dial. To the best of our knowledge, only two stainless steel Lange 1 examples fitted with a blue dial are currently known.
The Lange 1
Introduced in 1994, the Lange 1 became the flagship model of the reborn A. Lange & Söhne and remains the defining symbol of the manufacture's modern identity. Its revolutionary asymmetric dial layout, governed by strict principles of proportion and balance, established one of the most recognisable designs in contemporary watchmaking. Equally distinctive is the patented oversized date display, inspired by the historic five-minute digital clock of Dresden's Semper Opera House. On the present reference, the addition of a pusher at 10 o'clock allows instantaneous date correction, combining technical ingenuity with everyday practicality.
The true turning point, however, came in 1972 with the introduction of Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak. Designed by Gérald Genta, it became the first serially produced luxury sports watch in stainless steel, forever changing collectors' perception of the material. Its success inspired an entirely new category of high-end sports timepieces, including Patek Philippe's Nautilus, likewise designed by Genta only a few years later.
Against this historical backdrop, the decision by A. Lange & Söhne to produce a stainless steel Lange 1 was nothing short of extraordinary. Günter Blümlein, the visionary behind the manufacture's revival, had publicly maintained that steel had no place within the brand's philosophy, famously declaring that if the market demanded steel, 'it has to get steel, but not at A. Lange & Söhne for the foreseeable future'. Yet, following discussions with Mr. Bertini of the renowned Milan retailer Pisa Orologeria, Blümlein agreed to produce a limited series under one condition: the stainless steel version would be priced no lower than its gold counterpart. Thus was born the legendary Lange 1 reference 101.026.
Research indicates that less than thirty stainless steel Lange 1 examples were delivered to retailers worldwide. Pisa Orologeria received twenty watches, seventeen with silver dials and three with black dials, while New York retailer Cellini Jewelers ordered eight but ultimately received only four. A handful of additional examples were supplied to selected retailers in Germany and Singapore, making the stainless steel Lange 1 one of the rarest serially produced references of the modern manufacture.
The present timepiece was purchased in 1999 from the historic German retailer Oeding-Erdel, a longstanding partner of A. Lange & Söhne. It possesses an especially intriguing history, as its original guarantee correctly records the case and movement numbers but bears the secret reference 101.027 X, corresponding to a white gold Lange 1 with silver dial and blued hands. Although the manufacture has never explained this discrepancy, it has confirmed through its Proof of Origin that the present watch was delivered in stainless steel. Furthermore, A. Lange & Söhne has confirmed that the original silver dial was later replaced at the manufacture with the present blue dial. To the best of our knowledge, only two stainless steel Lange 1 examples fitted with a blue dial are currently known.
The Lange 1
Introduced in 1994, the Lange 1 became the flagship model of the reborn A. Lange & Söhne and remains the defining symbol of the manufacture's modern identity. Its revolutionary asymmetric dial layout, governed by strict principles of proportion and balance, established one of the most recognisable designs in contemporary watchmaking. Equally distinctive is the patented oversized date display, inspired by the historic five-minute digital clock of Dresden's Semper Opera House. On the present reference, the addition of a pusher at 10 o'clock allows instantaneous date correction, combining technical ingenuity with everyday practicality.